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The group had been seen using the item to sit in a wooded area behind a sewage treatment site in Crediton, Devon.

But it has now been identified as a piece of equipment used to take water from raw human excrement.

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People have queried why the youths stole something from a sewage works

Why you would steal from a sewage works is beyond me.

A witness

A witness, who has not been named, said they saw the youths stealing the sheet of material from a skip near the Lords Meadow Sewage Centre to sit on.

He said: "Why you would steal from a sewage works is beyond me.

"What they didn't know is that the "rug" was actually a belt for extracting water from human poo.

"This belt has had six months of poo squeezed through it and they have been sitting on it.

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Sewage contains bacteria and viruses

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The youths have been urged to get medical advice

"Just goes to show stealing doesn't pay."

The youths have now been advised to seek medical advice and health and safety bosses have warned contact with raw sewage can be extremely harmful and result in a number of illnesses - some of which can prove fatal.